Winter storm brings deaths, travel problems, power losses

A Midwest snowstorm packing heavy snow and strong winds left six people dead in Kansas, hundreds of vehicles crashed or stranded in Wisconsin, and tens of thousands of utility customers without power in Michigan.

“It’s the heaviest snow we’ve received all winter long, as far as the largest quantity, and it’s wet,” said Mark Rupnik, a sheriff’s lieutenant in Sheboygan County, Wis., where residents were hit with 15 inches of wet snow over two days — Tuesday and Wednesday. “This is our big storm for the year, I hope.”

The storm hit a wide swath of the U.S. with wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph and wet snow. It started in Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas and Missouri on Monday night and headed through Colorado, Iowa, northern Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan on Tuesday into Wednesday, according to Bob McMahon, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Wisconsin.

Kansas has been particularly pummeled with snow lately, receiving more than 2 feet of snow in some places over the last week or so. As of Wednesday morning, about 10,000 Kansas customers in mostly eastern counties were still without power, though company officials expected all service to be restored by the end of the day.

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback on Wednesday said two people died in traffic crashes, two siblings died from carbon monoxide poisoning in Kansas City, Kan., a woman died in southwest Kansas while shoveling snow, and another Kansas City resident was killed while walking in the snow.

At a Macy’s in northeast Kansas, 3 to 4 feet of heavy snow on the store’s roof caused an evacuation Wednesday morning because of safety concerns.

More than 50,000 homes and businesses in Michigan lost electrical service at one point Wednesday after a storm knocked down power lines and tree branches. About 40,000 remained without power as of Wednesday afternoon, with Washtenaw County hardest hit.

The utilities said crews would work around the clock to restore power.

The National Weather Service said Muskegon, Mich., was reported to have 9 inches of snow as of Wednesday morning. Authorities said weather might be a factor in crashes that killed motorists in Sanilac and Monroe counties.